Lithuania called for increase of NATO’s presence in the Baltics

NATO should increase its “visible” presence in the Baltics due to threats from Russia and Belarus.

This was stated by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda in a commentary to Politico.

He stressed that Belarus is undergoing “very huge fundamental changes” that make Lithuania more vulnerable to Russia’s rapid attack.

Nauseda noted that today’s Belarus is easier to be called an additional “province of Moscow,” because the Russian army can do anything there – place equipment, overthrow forces.

The new reality, according to the President of Lithuania, requires relevant reaction from the Alliance, since Russian troops can easily appear in close proximity to the Lithuanian border. And he added that there may be no time for reinforcement.

“The permanent deployment of NATO forces in Lithuania would be our priority, but it also depends on our capabilities and ability to accept them,” he said.

It goes about the need for appropriate infrastructure, housing and educational institutions.

Germany, which already leads a NATO battlegroup in Lithuania, has recently announced that it will boost its contribution to the country’s defenses. The plan includes troops that would be assigned to Lithuania’s security but still be formally based in Germany.

As a reminder, recently a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation with the participation of its secretary Nikolay Patrushev took place in the western enclave of Russia, Kaliningrad. He arrived there after Lithuania has restricted the movement of Russian sanctioned goods through its territory.

Although this decision was known in advance, the Russians were outraged and informed that they would act in response and this would be “sensitive and unpleasant for Lithuanian citizens.”

It is not the first time that the Baltic States have advocated increasing the presence of troops of NATO member states on their territory.

So in April, during a meeting of the Commander of the Armed Forces of Lithuania Valdemar Rupšis with the Chief of Staff of the US Army James McConville, there were talks about establishing permanent bases on the eastern flank of NATO, “including Lithuania.”